This invention concerns a photometric method of making an absorbance measurement at selected wavelengths with a specially designed cuvette, and more specifically to a method and apparatus which enables accurate measurements of hemoglobin to be made in the field with a relatively inexpensive photometer and a reusable cuvette.
Where large numbers of hemoglobin measurements are made in the field, such as in third-world countries, it is desirable to avoid any system which requires the use of reagents (which increase the cost and require proper storage), high dilution of the blood sample (which leads to inaccuracies), or disposable cuvettes (which increase the cost and generate waste). Also, it is desirable to use a system which enables an accurate measurement to be made with a relatively inexpensive photometer. The method and apparatus of this invention meets these requirements and thus allows accurate measurements of hemoglobin to be made in the field on a large scale at a relatively low cost.